Veneer dryers are commonly used in the wood products industry to make products such as plywood and wood veneers. A typical veneer dryer is approximately 64-200 feet in length and about 25-30 feet in width, with four to six levels for conveying wood products to be dried. Conventional veneer dryers are constructed from mild steel and mounted on a concrete slab. Some modern veneer dryers have improvements such as insulated floors/walls, and may be mounted on expansion rollers to allow the dryers to expand in response to heating.
Veneer dryers are constructed in place. The construction window is typically at least 18-20 weeks. When the veneer dryer is constructed to replace an existing dryer at the same site, the existing dryer must be removed before construction of the new dryer begins. This leaves the facility without an operable dryer on the site for the duration of the disassembly and construction phases. Therefore, replacing an existing dryer can have a dramatic impact on the output and profitability of the facility.